Hōsha Negai (A Way of The Samurai 4 Fanfiction)
by Almadura
Summary: They say when you wish upon a star, it may come true. But the world is full of fairy tales like that, and none of them are real. Wish granting stars are simply nonexistent. Fiction. Tales spun by parents to let their children have false hope. However for two particular teenagers.. their wish, was about to come true. In ways that would cause ripples through time and space.WOTS4
1. Chapter 1

**Hōsha negai**

* * *

 ** _They say when you wish upon a star, it may come true. But the world is full of fairytales like that, and none of them are real. Wish granting stars are simply nonexistent. Fiction. Tales spun by parents to let their children have false hope._**

 ** _However for two particular teenagers... their wish, was about to come true._**

 ** _In ways that would cause ripples through time and space._**

* * *

 **|PILOT: Romance Dawn|**

* * *

 **[A house in the middle of a small complex, Perth, Australia.]**

* * *

"C'mon you little... don't you freaking dare..." a young girl growled out as she rapidly tapped the buttons on her controller.

She was rather unremarkable in appearance. From her height and facial features, she was at least sixteen years old. She had short black hair styled into a bit of a bob cut with longer bangs framing her face, dark brown eyes narrowed in concentration and a petite body. She was clad in naught but a green tank top with white stripes and black boxers as she sat in front of her TV, her PS4 humming with life as she tried to survive in a certain game.

Sitting next to her was a boy, who not only appeared to be the same age, but also bore a very similar face, almost identical to hers. He was almost androgynous in appearance, his neck length dark brown hair kept in a messy state, practically uncombed, his wide and black eyes staring at the TV screen with anxiety. He was wearing and identical outfit to the girl's, only his singlet was black and blue. He was nervously clasping his hands together, almost in prayer.

"Come on sister, he's just an old man, he's not even wearing armor-"

"I'm trying to kill him, his guards keep getting in the way! Damn it, why aren't my buddies backing me up properly!?" The girl almost shouted.

On the screen was a mess of action. A dark setting, in a Japanese bedroom for a noble, a number of figures were fighting each other. The most prominent being a short figure wearing a blue furisode kimono, a wide brimmed kasa hat and a white mask with black markings forming a single eye in the center. The figure was holding a wakizashi, roughly seventy centimeters in length, with a brown handle and a gunmetal grey guard shaped like a demonic face. There was a red, thin rope of sorts hanging from the end of the handle.

The figure held the blade in a reverse grip as it slashed and stabbed the blade quickly at a much taller person, an old man with grey hair wearing his sleeping kimono and a menacing looking katana in his hands.

Numerous amounts of samurai were in the rather small room, the uniformed ones trying to attack the figure and its uniquely dressed allies.

This, was Way of The Samurai 4.

"Yes, just need to-YESS! I GOT HIM! I KILLED KINUGAWA!"

And as of this moment, it has been beaten.

"WE FINALLY KILLED THE OLD FUC-"

"L-language Lily!" The boy exclaimed, a scandalized look threatening to spread across his now glad looking face.

"Come off it Tenny, I just killed the old fart! We finally got the true ending! I think!" the doe eyed girl said with a wide smile. The boy simply sighed before shaking his head, a small smile on his lips.

It seemed like a happy moment for the two.

However...

"Wait, what? WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK!?" Lily roared out in outrage as she stared at the scene on the television.

Whereas she thought she had managed to finally defeat the game, the game obviously decided to flip her off.

As it turns out, the Kinugawa she killed... was a decoy. And now, her character AND her compatriots were about to be dropped into a boiling pot of water.

"I-its not fair! Wait, maybe someone will come and save the day, someone who left before! Kogure?"

"H-he's right there next to you..."

"JJ!?"

"Y-you had to kill him before..."

"AKAGI!?"

"H-he's in hospital..."

"SENSEI!?"

"I-I don't think you even met her in this playthrough..."

"Tenma, help me out here!" Lily exclaimed, almost hysteric, until she saw the inevitable.

The hatches in the execution platform opened up and the rebels, including Lily's character, fell to their boiling doom, right before the scene paused and turned black and white, and a summary of the fate of the harbor town of Amihama going across the screen as the narrator spoke.

The black haired girl stared at the screen numbly for a few seconds before she started whining like a hurt puppy and sinking her weight into her brother's side.

"T-they're dead... all dead... all that hard work.. Gone... my beloved Kogure... boiled alive with me..."

"I-its okay sister... w-we can always start a new file and try it again?"

"B-but Fubuki was my favorite... my best character... I can't make another with that style ever again!"

"T-then maybe I should make another character this time?"

"N-no way, we promised that I'd get to make the character who gets the true ending!" Lily looked up at her twin with wide puppy dog eyes.

"R-right... so now what?" Tenma says, averting his eyes from the fabled weapon of all women and children.

She doesn't answer as she remains there, leaning against her brother for a while before sighing irritably and standing up. "Screw it, I'm too tired for this crap. C'mon, mom's gonna be home soon anyway so we need to heat up dinner. You turn off the PS, I'll start up the food."

The brown haired boy sighs, muttering a quite 'Yes mistress' as he begins to exit the game and pack everything up.

[Hours later, 11:00]

The living complex was quiet, most of its residents having retired for the night. Yet in one particular house...

"Tenny! Tenny, wake up!" Lily whispered as she shook her brother's shoulders. The androgynous boy mumbled as he slowly pushed himself up, staring blearily at his twin.

"Sister... why are you still up..?"

"No time, get up to the roof, quick!" She exclaims as quietly as possible before rushing out of the room and into the hallway, heading up the stairs to the attic. Tenma groaned as he got up and followed her. He climbed up the stairs of the attic, quietly so as not to awaken their mother, before heading to the open window and climbing out, crawling along the roof until he makes it to the top, where his sister sat.

"Look!" She nearly squealed as she pointed into the night sky. Tiredly, Tenma turned to where she pointed. His eye widened a bit as they locked onto something bright in the sky, moving at a fast pace.

"A... meteor?"

"No stupid, it's a shooting star! A comet!"

"Comets don't move that slowly..."

"Who cares, it's a comet and you know what that means!" She giddily said, her eyes sparkling.

"We're going to make a wish?" Tenma replied, sighing. "Okay... what are we wishing for..? Same thing as we always do when we make wishes for our birthdays?"

His sister began to look downcast at this, her smile falling. "...I... I don't think we should... even if we keep wishing for it... Dad won't come back..." her lips curved upwards as she began to look giddy again. "But we can always wish for something fun! Come on, if we both make a wish now before it vanishes, it might come true!"

"Okay... like what?" He asked, leaning against the angled roof as she takes a contemplative pose.

"...how about... Aha! Got it! Let's wish to be able to fix our mistake in Way of the Samurai 4 tomorrow!"

"...that's it?" The brown haired youth stared at his sister incredulously.

"What? We might as well wish for something reasonable. We made a mistake along the line in that playthrough and before the holidays are over, I swear to whatever God blessed the guy who designed Kogure-"

"You're a bit too obsessed with that guy, sis."

"-we're gonna get that true ending! Well? It's not like you had any better ideas!" She pouts at him, taking small satisfaction as he turns away embarrassed.

"I-I was going to wish so my voice could sound more masculine... but yeah, let's do it."

"Puh-lease, you're a bit too far gone for that. You could pass off as my sister with your looks and voice." She chimed at him with a cheeky smile.

"C-can we just make the wish? The comets staring to go."

"Crap, right! On the count of three! One, THREE!"

The siblings clasp their hands together, looking at the comet before closing their eyes and praying.

"Please let us correct our mistake and finish the true route of Way of the Samurai 4 tomorrow..."

Neither of them noticed the comet blink brightly for a brief moment before shooting across the sky, vanishing.

[Minutes later]

The two were climbing into their beds, quite as mice without vocal cords, as they slipped under their sheets. Tenma tiredly moaned as he slowly nodded off, his sister doing the same.

Neither were prepared for their wish coming true in the most remarkable of ways.

[Morning, the very next day]

"-enny, wake up! Seriously, wake the fuck up! This is really serious! WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

A loud whack sounded out, a pained yelp following soon after.

"A-AAH, AH, I'M UP, I'M UP!" Tenma exclaimed as he bolted up, his eyes wide with surprise and pain at Lily's loud voice, the smell of seawater filling his nose as he panted.

'Wait... seawater?'

Slowly, he blinked as he took in where he was, feeling whatever he was on rock gently. Almost mechanically, he slowly turned his head to look around him.

Water. Lots of water, with small rolling waves.

He looked down to find himself sitting in a long rowboat... and wearing different clothes.

He raised his arms to look at himself, his mouth gaping in shock.

He was wearing an icy blue kimono with wide and baggy hakama pants of the same color. A pale blue haori was wrapped around his shoulders, like a mantle, until he pulled it off him and held it in front of him to stare at it. His hands and forearms were covered by a finger-less tekko glove made of dark blue cloth. He looked down again to find his feet clad in geta sandals with white tabi socks.

"T-Tenny... you're seeing all this too, right?"

Hearing his sister's voice, he snaps out of his daze and snaps his head to the source of her voice...

And finds a beautiful girl.

His eyes widen as he takes in her appearance. Long black hair cascading down her neck and shoulders, doe eyes staring at him with a worried and fearful expression, her body covered by a deep blue furisode with red and pink flower patterns dotting the lower half of the dress, normal white tabi and straw sandals on her feet. A kasa was hanging off her back by the string around her neck, and she held a blank white mask with familiar looking markings on it. Her hands were covered tekko gloves as well, only black in color.

Suddenly, her face twists into a look of annoyance and anger. "What the hell are you staring at you moron!?"

He blinks and quickly shakes his head quickly at the familiar voice before staring at her again, his eyes bugging out.

"L-LILY!?"

"YES YOU DUNDERHEAD, WHO ELSE!?"

Tenma didn't reply as he stared at her before turning away, his cheeks tinted pink.

'Christ, I just felt enamoured by my own sister... wait...'

"W-where are we?"

"THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT YOU STUPID-"

 _"Ehem."_

The two freeze at the foreign, yet somehow familiar voice. They turn their heads slowly to find the reason their boat was actually going anywhere.

At the end of the boat, stood a man. He was of average height, his skin tanned brown from constant exposure to the sun. He wore naught but an opened blue kimono top and a kasa over his head, the rest of his body laid bare for the world to lay eyes on his fit and well-muscled body. Protecting his shame from the world was a white fundoshi.

The man's face showed signs of him being middle aged, his cheeks and chin bearing a light amount of aftershave. His black hair was short and his eyes were crinkled in amusement as he chewed on the toothpick in his mouth lightly, his arms gripping the steering rod of the boat.

 _"Amusin' as it is seein' you two fight, though I got no bloody idea what you two are saying, try not to kill each other before we even hit the harbor. I'd rather not have to throw you over board and I'm sure you'd rather keep yerselves dry, ne?"_

The two siblings blinked slowly blinked as they stared at him (or in Lily's case, let her eyes roam up and down his body shamelessly) before Tenma broke the silence.

 _"A-are you Japanese?"_

The man raised a brow at this. _"Course I am. Aren't you two as well?"_

"H-half actually... I-I mean, _half, actually..."_ Tenma replied, switching to Japanese halfway through his sentence. Before the man could say anything to that, Lily grabbed her brother by the front of his kimono and pulled him to the front of the boat slowly, keeping their backs to the confused rower.

"W-what are you-"

"SHHH, you idiot! Recap, okay!? I woke up, on a boat, with no idea where I am, wearing different clothes and my hair is long as hell. And then I find you right next to me, wearing different clothes and with WHITE FUCKING HAIR."

"M-my hair is white? W-wait a minute..." Tenma trailed off, looking at his clothes, only now noticing that his hair wasn't just white, he could even see his locks fall beside his face. "My hair... it's white and longer... my clothes are light blue... wait, is there a-"He reaches his right hand to the left side of his hip... and brushes against a handle.

Silently, he slowly grasps the handle, his sister watching him in shock, before he pulls the handle... partially drawing a beautiful nodachi.

The handle was covered in black cloth, with icy blue diamond shaped gaps in the material, and the blade was clean enough to work as a mirror yet long enough to hang laundry on. The guard was a golden compass-like shape, with four arrows pointing in the different directions.

Tenma moved aside his haori to find that the sheath for the blade was a deep blue with black mixed in. taking this all in with wide eyes, he slowly sheathed the blade, his hand holding the grip tightly.

"Amazarashi... its Amazarashi..." Tenma repeats slowly before turning to look at his shell shocked sister. "L-Lily, check your back!"

Her eyes widen as she moves her right hand behind her, feeling a handle behind her. She grasps it before pulling it loose slowly and holding the revealed blade in front of her, held in reversed grip.

Dark brown handle with a red string at the end, guard in the shape of a Hannya mask, and a short serrated blade.

"M-Mukade... its Fubuki's Mukade..." Her eyes drift up to her brother's as he nods slowly.

"A-and this is my Haku's Amazarashi... from my playthrough before you made Fubuki... and our clothes... And our hair.. We're..." Tenma swallows his saliva nervously before his sister finishes the sentence for him.

"We're our own characters... from the game... and we're on a boat so..." Lily's eyes widen again before she turns to look at the very confused looking rower. "Excuse me-shit- _excuse me! Where are we headed now?"_

The tanned man looks at her funny before drawling out his answer. _"You're kidding me, right? We're heading to Amihama, where else?"_

The two siblings felt something odd as they took that in. They were on a boat, in a fictional alternate history of Japan, in a game... everything was too real to be a dream, they even felt the soreness from sleeping uncomfortably on a boat that small, and they had no idea how they got there or how to get back.

And yet...

Lily began to feel a grin spread on her lips as she tried to keep herself from squealing excitedly.

Their wish came true after all.

Just not in the way they expected.

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer at the bottom of fic because why not.**_

 _ **I do not own Way of the Samurai 4, nor any anime, manga or other works of fiction referenced in this fanfic.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**|Chapter 1: Like a Storm|**

* * *

[On a boat en route to Amihama]

* * *

The rower was watching his latest passengers with no small amount of amusement. He found it especially amusing how they seemed to have differing reactions to the fact that they're heading to Amihama.

The girl, who also seemed to have been checking him out before if her red cheeks and roaming eyes were any indication, looked like she was trying to refrain from jumping up and down in joy, a huge beaming smile on her face as she clenched her fists and squealed happily before thrusting her arms into the air, the billowing sleeves of her furisode flapping around.

The boy on the other hand, who did not look anything even remotely resembling a male with that face, hair and voice, looked close to hyperventilating, his eyes wide and pupils dilated, a hand grasping his chest while the other grabbed the edge of the boat. He looked like he was either about to hurl out whatever meal he previously had or have a stroke.

 _"You alright there girly?"_ The rower asked, raising his eyebrows amusedly.

"Fuck yeah, I mean, _hell yeah I am!"_ The black haired girl, who the white haired one called Lily, said, her face glowing with excitement. _"I've never been better in my entire life!"_

 _"I can see that, but I meant your pretty friend over there. She looks like she's about to have a heart attack."_

The white haired androgynous boy snapped his head to the rower with a positively horrified expression. _"I-I-I'm a guy!"_

 _"You sure about that? You sure don't sound or look like one."_ the tanned sailor chuckled out, chewing on his toothpick as the younger boy simply buried his face into his palms, groaning.

Lily giggled before patting her sibling on the back. _"Ah, don't mind my sister-"_

 _"LILY!"_

 _", she's just feeling a bit seasick, isn't that right Tenma-chan?"_

 _"I swear to whatever God is listening..."_ Tenma trailed off as she, err, he, glared at his sister with a murderous expression, his cheeks burning red.

The rower simply laughed at the two before turning his head to view the horizon. The next few minutes were silent, save for the sound of waves and Lily giggling to herself excitedly every now and then.

 _"...so, have either of you been to Amihama?"_ The rower asks with a curious tone. The siblings look at each other before Tenma turns to answer.

 _"W-well... we've heard of it. We heard about the British consulate and the ambassador there and the black ship she came in. Other than that, not much other than the fact that it's a pretty beautiful place."_

 _"Well you're not that wrong there, the mountainside near the shrine is pretty nice... once you get over the bandits of course. But yeah, then I guess you know enough about what's basically going on at Amihama?"_ The rower asks.

 _"Oh yeah, we know a few things. The British consulate, the Shogunate trying to keep order and the Prajna... yeah, we know enough."_ Lily said, grinning. The scruffy looking sailor stared at her curiously at this.

 _"From that expression... and your weapon... you're the type that loves to get into a fight, aren't you?"_

 _"You have NO idea..."_ Tenma muttered before getting an elbow in his ribs for his trouble, prompting the rower to burst out laughing.

 _"Hahaha, so you're the little sibling that has to keep her out of trouble? No wonder your hair is white, it must've turned prematurely from all the stress she causes you... oh, speaking of stress, look over there. The black ship."_

Lily and Tenma's eyes widen before they turn in their spots, almost scrambling to look in the direction the rower was pointing at.

In the distance, they saw the colossal black steam ship of the British, and the crowds of people standing around the harbor.

"...this is it..." Lily murmured, prompting Tenma to turn his head to look at his sister.

"...you're really excited for this, aren't you..?"

Lily turns to look at her brother, hearing his rather sullen tone.

"Of course I am! It's an adventure, and we get to live out our favorite game!"

"B-but what if we die here? Or if we can't ever go back home?" the white haired boy asks, fear in his voice. His sister frowns as she leans over and rubs his back.

"...Look, Tenny... I get it, you're scared and all that crap... but you gotta realize, this kind of stuff, it only happens in people's wildest dreams! We need to take advantage of this! Besides, you'll be fine, you've got me to take care of you! Onee-chan will keep you safe!"

"Y-you're only older by a few seconds..." Tenma mutters, smiling soon after. "A-and I thought you said the characters I made were stronger than yours? Shouldn't that mean that right now, I'm tougher than you?"

"P-peh, Fubuki can handle your characters easily."

"Even Genesis?"

"...okay, except him. He was probably the strongest character you've ever made." Lily concedes before snapping her head up, realizing something. "...oh.. We've stopped."

The twins look up, realizing that they've just landed at the harbor. They turn to find their rower quietly tying the boat to a pole fixed onto the harbor.

 _"You two have fun in Amihama now. And if you ever feel like leaving, I'll be here."_ The man didn't even look at them as he said that.

 _"T-thank you sir!"_ Tenma says before slowly standing up, putting his haori on properly before slowly stepping off the boat and onto the docks, careful not to let the long sheath of his katana accidentally bump into his sister. As he got off and slowly started walking up the stairs, his sister stepped off as well before turning to look at the rower with a small grin.

 _"Thanks for taking us here sir."_

 _"Thanks for thinking me attractive enough to warrant your hungry gaze.."_ The rower grins as Lily blushes.

 _"E-er, well..."_

 _"It's alright girl, wouldn't be the first time I've been checked out. Speaking of, you take care of your brother... with a voice, face, hair and clothes like that, I'd wager a lot of people would think he's a girl. And there are some unsavory types who like that kind, so make sure you keep him safe from all the wrong people."_ The tanned man said with a serious glint in his eyes. Lily's own eyes grow firm and confident as she stares back at him.

 _"Nobody is gonna touch my little brother... if anyone does, I'll rip their dicks off... but thanks for your advice."_

The rower grins and tips his kasa before returning to tying the boat to the pole, muttering to himself as he chews on his toothpick. _"C'mon you bloody thing, every damn time I come here..."_

Lily giggles at his plight before climbing up the stairs of the docks.

* * *

As she walked, she marveled at how... beautiful everything looked. From the game, the harbor looked pretty decent but in person like this, with the gentle ocean breeze, the salty smell of the sea and the ambient noises of waves rolling and seagulls cawing, everything just felt more... homely. Like playing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite with Tenma and they entered the Gathering Hall for the first time.

"Lily, over here!"

The black haired girl's eyes snap towards her androgynous sibling, who was waving a thin arm in the air. He stood near a crowd of people who were watching something she couldn't see.

As she got near him, he beckoned her to follow him through the crowd, until they stood in the middle of it.

"Look over there..." He whispered to her as he pointed. Lily squinted as she tried to make out what he wanted her to see, her eyes locking onto...

"...oh, its Laura... damn she's shorter that I expected in person... wait... if she's already getting onto the harbor then that means-"

She was cut off when an explosion set off, a cannonball blasting into the ground near the crowd, causing them to panic. Numbers of armed men wearing familiar red clothes and baggy blue pants, most of them wearing red bandannas, began to file into the area, a few of them pushing cannons on wheels forward as a gruff looking man with a nodachi sheathed onto his back commanded them.

"I-its Akagi..." Tenma stuttered out.

Five of the constable samurais immediately drew their blades and charged straight at Reddo Akagi, only to be cut down quickly by a pale man wearing a black and dark violet kimono and a scarf around his neck, covering the lower part of his face.

"And Kogure!" Lily's eyes practically sparkled as she clasped her hands together.

* * *

[Over with the Prajna]

* * *

"...hn?" Jinrei Kogure murmured out, his ears picking up someone saying his name. He shook his head, focusing on the task at hand as he sheathed his blade, taking his signature Iai stance.

* * *

[Back with the twins]

* * *

"I-I think he heard me... oh my God, oh my Go-" Lily was cut off when Tenma tapped her shoulder.

"N-not the time to fangasm now, sis..."

 _"A-aren't you two samurai?"_ A female and concerned voice called out near the two.

Tenma and Lily's eyes widen as they recognize the voice, turning to face it.

A young woman wearing a pink kimono, her hair tied into a bun. Overall, she seemed like a pretty normal girl.

But they knew better.

This woman was Akane, the humble owner of a pub in the residential district of Amihama... but they knew her as...

'Madara...' Lily and Tenma thought, instantly wary of her. Before they could reply or take any action, they realized two important things.

One, was that the crowd around them had thinned immensely, leaving them open to the large empty circle in the crowd.

Two, five Prajna members approached them, weapons drawn.

 _"You two, drop the weapons!"_ One of the rebels shouted, pointing his blade at the twins.

Tenma frowned, his left hand covered by his billowing sleeves as he wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his blade, his heart hammering.

'Oh God, we have to fight already!? Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, you can do this...' the white haired teen chanted mentally before he heard the sound of metal sliding out of its sheath. His head snapped towards his sister, who had taken a familiar stance, crouching a bit and holding her blade in front of her in reverse grip, its serrated edge glinting dangerously in the sunlight.

 _"You know, I haven't had a decent fight for a loooong time... think you big boys can handle little ol' me?"_ Lily cooed condescendingly as she sized up her opponents. She felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her as she held her beloved Mukade in her hands. She felt strong, fast and ready for action... 'Maybe... I can actually do this!'

"Lily, what are you doing!?" Tenma nearly shouted, his eyes wide.

"Tenny, go and handle Akagi and the cannons! You know how the start of the true route goes! I can handle these shmucks!" She grinned before pulling her kasa onto her head, securing it as she resumed her stance.

Tenma stared at her in shock before he nodded. "A-alright... be safe."

With that he prepared to take off, until one of the Prajna got in his way.

 _"Where do you think you're-"_

To Tenma and the Prajna member's surprise, a sandaled foot slid across the dirt and swiped the rebel's feet from under him before the pommel of Mukade slammed against his forehead, knocking his head into the ground roughly. Lily immediately got up and turned to face the other now very cautious and angered Prajna members. "Tenma, GO!"

The white haired youth nodded, his eyes still wide in surprise and awe before he began to sprint towards the end of the harbor, somehow not falling over in his geta clad feet.

Lily sighed in relief, seeing him go before her eyes hardened and she glared at her opponents from under her kasa.

 _"Alright you so called 'Fighters for the future of Japan', show me how determined you really are!"_

Furiously growling, one of them rushed forward, armed with an ordinary katana held in a Waki stance as he took a basic stab at her. Lily raised her own blade, blocking the strike before she leaned forward and used her other arm to grab the older man's wrist and pull him towards her. His eyes widened as his momentum caused him to get pulled to her, the smaller girl's body practically dancing around him, her sleeves fluttering as she spins around him and slams the handle of her blade into the back of his head, knocking him out.

 _"You know what the sad thing is?"_ Lily asked as another Prajna member rushed at her, taking a Ge-Dan stance as he tried going for an uppercut, only to find his blade being parried by Lily's. Before he can react, she immediately raises the blade up to his throat, the toothed blade just barely touching his skin.

 _"I'm beating you guys and I'm not even going for the kill. Because frankly, you're not bad people, you're just misguided. So take into consideration how lightly you're getting off compared to if I actually had to treat you like threats."_

Before the captive rebel could even think of a response, she immediately swiped her right foot under his left, making him lose his balance before she slammed her palm into his forehead, smashing his head into the ground. She turned around, smirking as she took in the now mildly fearful looks the Prajna around her were throwing her.

 _"So... who's next?"_

* * *

[With Tenma]

* * *

The white haired youth managed to make it through the crowd and stopped a few feet from Akagi. The older man was holding a young blonde girl by the wrist, glaring hatefully at her.

 _"What, girl? Do you want to help this foreign scum?"_ the tanned revolutionary growled out as he turned towards Tenma. The girl in his grasp, the British ambassador Laura, turned to look at Tenma with fear and hope.

 _"P-please miss... help me!"_

Tenma frowned, partially due to both of them thinking he was female, as his right hand reached up to tuck away a long lock of white hair behind his ear, unaware of how daintily feminine it made him look. "P-please, do not panic miss... all will be resolved soon."

Laura's eyes widened in surprise, hearing the older teen speak in perfect English. Akagi grit his teeth as his glare turned harsher. _"So you're one of those foreign pigs too? Or some kind of enthusiast?"_

 _"Neither, Reddo Akagi-san... I-I'm just someone who can't stand all this senseless violence."_ Tenma replied, stepping forward. _"Please, just let her go. She's just a child. I understand your fear for the western culture taking over Japan's, but there's no need to-"_

 _"Fear?"_ Akagi cut in. _"FEAR? You think I fear anything? I am Reddo Akagi, leader of the Disciples of Prajna and I fear nothing, not even death! And I certainly don't fear these... these heathens, threatening to take over our country!"_

 _"Listen to yourself Akagi-san! You don't sound like a revolutionary leader right now, you sound like an extremist!"_ Tenma shouted, taking another step forward. Akagi simply harrumphed before pushing Laura away and stepping to the side and turning away.

 _"Whatever. I don't care what you have to say. You're not worth my time."_

With that, a small group of Prajna, five in total, began to surround Tenma. The androgynous teen sighed, frowning deeply. Slowly, he wrapped the fingers of his left hand around the sheath of his nodachi, pressing his thumb against the guard of the blade.

'I can do this... just... aim right... strike through... if Lily could do it... I can too...'

He was going to have to take them down as quickly as possible, at the same time.

The rebels around him sneered. One of them seemed to eye him up and lean his katana on his shoulder. _"You know, ojou-san, you could get out of this easily if you just decide to have some fun with us. I guarantee you wouldn't regret it."_

...that man was going down first.

Tenma turned to look at the man, who seemed to perk up, expecting a positive response. The white haired teen smiled at him before placing his right hand on the handle of Amazarashi.

Akagi's eyes widened as he heard screams coming from where he left his men to deal with the meddlesome white haired girl. He immediately turned around, nearly gaping at the sight of all five men on the ground, clutching their bloodied hands, some of them missing fingers, one in particular trying to stem the blood flow of a stump of a hand. The men immediately scrambled away from the white haired youth, who simply frowned as he sighed and turned to face Akagi, his right hand not even anywhere near the handle of the blade.

 _"I really do not wish to have to do this, Akagi-san. But if violence is the only way to resolve this..."_ Tenma trailed off as he crouched a bit, taking a stance familiar to Akagi.

Immediately, the Prajna leader's right arm swung up to grab the handle of Ashura and pulled it free, lightly stumbling as he held the blade with both hands in a Jo-Dan stance. 'That stance... how is she...'

Akagi would know the stance anywhere. He's seen it nearly everyday.

That stance... was the Kasshin Iai Jutsu stance.

The stance that Kogure uses.

Tenma's regretful expression shifted into one of grim determination as he spoke.

 _"Then as they say... you reap what you sow. Come at me."_

* * *

 ** _A.N. I realize that some clothing that Tenma wears does not exist in Way of the Samurai 4. Just roll with it._**

 ** _Interestingly enough, one review from someone. I wasn't expecting any at all to be honest. I had a chat with the reviewer and it turns out, we are quite alike in our interest in WOTS4. The Genesis character that Tenma referenced is a character the reviewer used in a previous playthrough, and from the screenshots he showed me, Genesis was quite the force to be reckoned with._**


	3. Chapter 3

**|Chapter 2: Harbor Heroes|**

* * *

Reddo Akagi was not having a good time. In fact, he was a dangerous mix of confused, enraged, and a little bit scared.

All of these emotions were invoked by one single reason. The youth in front of him, who he was engaged in one of the most confusing sword battles he's ever been in.

This young girl, with shocking white hair, was matching him blow for blow, even though she was a bit clumsy with her blade during some clashes. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes narrowed, and her lips set in a thin and straight line.

The fact that she was using some sort of bastardized version of Kogure's technique was also the cause of his unease. Kogure is very secretive, and trains either alone, or with the company of Akagi himself. And as much as Akagi valued his fellow Prajna, they weren't the brightest bunch, so they couldn't have learnt Kogure's style from watching him in battle. They were usually preoccupied with fighting grunts anyway.

None of their enemies in the Shogunate could have learnt the style either. Kogure always moved too fast for them to observe properly, or so Akagi assumed, and the only ones who manage to observe Kogure in action usually ended up being his next victims.

Kogure's Kasshin Iai Jutsu was truly an art, known and practiced by him and him only.

Yet this Gaijin sympathizer... she was using Kogure's technique, and Akagi has never seen nor even heard of her before in Amihama. A complete nobody, just out of nowhere decides to step in, and somehow knows the fighting style of his best friend? Ridiculous when you think about it, but Akagi could not deny the hard truth that was striking his Ashura.

Yet, as Akagi blocked another fast strike from the girl, the technique wasn't completely the same. The girl was mostly using Kogure's style, but there were some different, and dare he admit it, improved movements and tactics in this style. The strikes weren't as fast as Kogure's, but they were longer and had much more reach.

 _'How the hell can this bitch even use an Iai style with THAT sword!?'_ Akagi growled mentally as he stepped back quickly, dodging another quick slash by a hairs breadth. The girl immediately sheathed her blade as soon as she missed, taking her default stance, mirroring Kogure's as she stared impassively at the Prajna leader.

Therein lied the true oddity. Iai techniques were meant for Wakizashi and Tanto blades, because the shorter the sword, the quicker the draw. Speed was key in Iai jutsu. And yet this girl was wielding a Nodachi just as long as Akagi's Ashura, and was managing just fine.

To be able to use such a long blade with the Iai jutsu, and not suffer any major loss in drawing and sheathing speed was unheard of. With such an advantage in the blade's length and suffering from little to no drawbacks because of it, the Iai technique the girl is using might just be a little more dangerous than Kogure's.

Whereas Kogure's short blade combined with his technique can be likened to the fast sting of a viper against a hare, this girl's absurdly long sword combined with her bastardized technique could be likened to the strike of a praying mantis against a smaller insect. Kogure's was faster, more accurate, but had short range. This girl's was stronger, had more range, but was a bit slower.

Akagi spat to the ground beside him, something which garnered a briefly disgusted expression from the girl before her face straightened out again, before he stood up and leaned the back of his blade on his shoulder casually, as if they weren't having a duel in the middle of a chaotic harbor. _"You know girl, you're pretty good with that technique while using that blade, considering it's meant for short swords. How long have you been practicing it?"_

 _"Probably half a year."_ Tenma admitted. His run using this specific character, before the miraculous wish that brought him into this game, took roughly that long since he wanted to draw out the playthrough and master his own technique for as long as possible. Not that Akagi would know that.

The dark skinned man's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. _'Half a year? Half a fucking year and this brat's already this strong? How the hell have I never heard of her!?'_

Seeing the rebel leader's expression, Tenma took a moment to reflect what he just said. _'Crap, I forgot this isn't a game anymore... real samurai spend years honing their styles...'_

 _"...you know that technique you're using is pretty familiar. In fact, it looks almost just the same as my friend's."_ Akagi schools his expression before taking a menacing step forward as he settles back into his combat stance. _"He spent most of his life making that technique. And you've only been using yours for half a year. And thing is, I've never even heard of you in Amihama, so you must be a newcomer to this town, cuz I would remember if anyone with hair like that ever lived in these parts. So... who the hell are you?"_

Tenma started sweating nervously as he stared at the revolutionary. Despite the form he had, and the abilities of a samurai, he was still a young boy inside. And every young boy would be pretty intimidated by the kind of glare a grown man like Akagi was throwing him.

Despite his growing fear, Tenma took a deep breath and slowly changed his stance...

...by unsheathing his blade.

Akagi was thrown off as the white haired youth in front of him took a one handed stance, standing up straighter with her sword held out to the side almost leisurely. _'What in the hell..?'_

The girl wasn't just standing and holding a blade normally, her stance had changed completely. A samurai's stance with a blade tells you how they fight. Iai jutsu users use hit and run tactics and usually remain on the defense, utilizing speed and precision. Jo-dan users like Akagi put emphasis on strength and brute force. Ge-dan users hold their blades upside down and use confusing and unpredictable movements.

A one handed style however... means that the user has enough strength in one arm to swing their blade with enough speed and strength to kill, while leaving their other hand open to use other weapons such as throwing knives, bombs, or even punching the enemy in the face.

 _"Akagi-san."_ The androgynous boy started as he took slow steps forward _. "How about this? I will tell you how I know that technique... but only if you manage to defeat me."_

 _"You cocky little... you're bluffing... there is no way a brat like you can know more than one style!"_ Akagi shouted.

 _"If you must see it to believe it..."_ Tenma drawled out before bending his knees _. "Then don't blink."_

Before Akagi could even retort, the youth had broken out in a dash, rushing right at him. Akagi had to admit mentally, were it night time and the two fighters were dueling alone in the mountain, he would be quite intimidated. The youth's long white hair was flailing around in a wraith-like manner, her icy eyes wide open in an almost crazed stare, and her teeth showing as she grits them a bit ferally as she holds her long katana to the side, its blade glinting in the sun.

Yes, Akagi felt that his opponent had switched immediately from being calm and calculative to a wild beast.

His thoughts were proven true when he raised his sword to block a quick downward slash from the pale skinned girl.

His knees nearly buckled in surprised as he found that he had to exert more strength in blocking the strike than he thought. _'Holy shit, she hits HARD.'_

Suddenly, he found himself on the defensive. He had to take multiple steps back and around the girl as she swung her blade in quick and long strokes. Each strike made his bones rattle, something that caused a lot of discomfort, and a rising sense of man's most primal instinct.

The instinct to fight.

Soon, he found himself returning the strikes with more strength than he's had to use against someone in a while. He began to grin as he started reveling in the battle. He hadn't had someone push him this far in a duel since Kogure. Any of his other duels against any high ranking members of the Shogunate were always cut short when one side would retreat from suffering too many casualties.

But this... this girl had no army and Akagi's were still many and strong. They had plenty of time.

Or so he thought, before he noticed a distinct lack of cannon fire.

He turned his eyes away from his fight to gawk at the fact that someone had managed to take out the men manning the cannons. His eyes immediately snapped towards an unfamiliar figure, a girl, if her deep blue furisode kimono was any indication, wearing a straw kasa hat that covered the upper part of her smirking face, was casually leaning against the now unused cannons, their previous users now littered on the ground, groaning in pain.

Akagi immediately realized the error of turning away from the battle, as he felt a sharp pain in his right thigh. His eyes snapped back to his opponent, who shockingly had a startled and fearful expression, almost as if she wasn't trying to actually hurt him.

Akagi couldn't ponder on this though, since he was distracted by the pain of having a deep gouge in his thigh, causing him to collapse to his knees as he held his blade in front of him to block any incoming strikes.

 _"Akagi."_ A familiar voice quietly called out, followed by the arrival of his right hand man; Jinrei Kogure.

Akagi could hear a vague squeal of delight before he shook his head, attributing it to him being a bit delirious from blood loss as he focused on his friend. _"You're late. What took you so long?"_

 _"I thought you had it."_

 _"So did I until I found out that she can use TWO fucking sword styles."_ Akagi bit out.

 _"Actually, I'm a boy."_ Akagi heard the white haired youth say. He shook his head again. _'I must've lost more blood than I thought.'_

Tenma frowned at Akagi ignoring what he said before he heard heavy footsteps and armor clanking. He turned around to find the golden armored woman of the British consulate, Melinda... something or the other, glaring at him as she held her blade in what might be a basic sword stance.

 _"I will not allow you to cause anymore chaos."_

"E-erm, b-but I just tried to help Laura-"

 _"HALT!"_

Tenma's eyes widened before he instinctively rolled to the side, dodging an impressive dropkick, if it weren't for the fact that not only did the person executing the attack miss, but he ended up hitting Melinda instead, sending the armored woman sprawling to the ground.

 _"Ah, terribly sorry!"_ The newcomer immediately apologized. As Tenma got back up and focused his sight on the man, he realized it was Hikaru Kotobuki, the rather clumsy yet lovable Shogunate chief magistrate.

"What in God's name is wrong with you!?" Melinda yelled as she got back up, her armor barely dented from the attack as she pointed her claymore at Kotobuki. "Are all of you Japanese warriors idiots or are you a special case!?"

 _"Pardon, but I'm afraid I cannot understand a single word of what you've just said."_ Kotobuki sheepishly admitted as he scratched the back of his head.

 _"The learn English God damn it!"_

 _"Why didn't you just speak Japanese in the first place?"_

 _"Because you drop kicked me and I was angry and startled!"_

 _"...so you're not angry now?"_

 _"I'M STILL ANGRY YOU IDIOT!"_

Tenma couldn't help it, but seeing this completely new and out of character scene, he burst out giggling, covering his mouth with his left hand as his right gripped his sword tightly.

Kotobuki then turned towards the white haired trap and unsheathed his katana. _"You there, girl, I demand that you lower your weapon and submit yourself for arrest!"_

 _"W-wait, what did I do? I just tried to help the British ambassador!" Tenma exclaimed, all laughter forgotten._

 _"Ah, did you? Well, nevertheless, then she may vouch for you later once we conduct out investigation of your involvement in this chaos!"_

 _"I only just arrived to Amihama before the battle even started! Why am I suddenly a suspect!?"_

 _"Apoligies, I'm just following my gut instinct that you are a person of interest!"_

 _"But that doesn't even make sense..." Tenma frowned as he held his blade at the ready._

 _"Hey now~"_

The sudden arrival of a sultry voice sounded out from behind Kotobuki as Tenma's sister sidled up behind him and held her serrated wakizashi up to his throat, smiling an all too sweet smile. _"I'd prefer it if you didn't arrest my dear brother for such silly reasons, chief magistrate~"_

 _"...that's a boy?"_ Kotobuki questioned with a perplexed expression, tensing at the feeling of the toothed blade pressed against his jugular.

 _"Hold it right there!"_ Melinda shouted as she prepared to dash forward to help Kotobuki, until Tenma stepped in front of her and held his Amazarashi up to her, the blade long enough to nearly poke at her own throat, causing her to freeze lest she impale her own neck on the nodachi.

 _"Well now, it seems we have quite a few naughty children!"_

"Oh for fucks sake, what now!?" Lily exclaimed loudly in English, garnering a rather shocked expression from Melinda for the foul language.

The quartet turned to find three beautiful young women in black furisode kimonos, all bearing similar faces, and equally similar smirks of malice.

"Not these three..." Lily muttered before she let go of Kotobuki and pushed him away before taking her shinobi stance. _"Lemme guess, you bitches wanna tangle as well?"_

 _"H-how dare you!"_ The eldest with the longest hair, Mayu, exclaimed, her and her siblings faces taking on scorned and enraged expressions. _"Do you have any idea who we are!?"_

 _"Hmmm... oh, you're the three little idiots!"_ Lily exclaimed before pointing at each sister slowly. _"Dumb, dumber, and dumbest!"_

 _"Why you..."_ The bob cut haired sister, Yuri, growled out before shrugging off her kimono, revealing her combat attire, before pulling out her naginata from God knows where. _"I'm not the dumbest!"_

 _"Looks like we need to teach a bitch a lesson, sisters!"_ The sister with her hair in a bun, Chika, sneered as she and Mayu shrugged off their kimonos, following Yuri's example as they prepared their katanas.

"Hehehehe, this'll be fun... hey Tenny, lets trash the bitch sisters!" Lily exclaimed as she idly spun her blade around.

"Well... they're not the nicest people..." Tenma admitted as he stepped next to his sister, sheathing his blade and taking his Iai stance.

Melinda and Kotobuki, confused at the sudden turn of events, step back from what was about to be a new fight.

 _"Dibs on the bitch with the old lady hair!"_ Yuri exclaimed as she rushed forward to Tenma.

 _"I-I'm not old or a lady!"_ Tenma exclaimed as he met her charge, quickly drawing his blade out and slashing out in an uppercut, which Yuri blocked with her naginata before stabbing at him. Tenma immediately slapped the blade of the spear to the side with his own weapon's sheath before sliding his sword back into it and stepping back out of Yuri's range.

 _"Whaat? You're a boy? But you dress like a girl!"_

 _"I-I do not! This kimono is unisex!"_

 _"Hahaha, you must be some kind of pervert! Pervert, pervert, pervert!"_ Yuri laughed out before dashing towards Tenma and stabbing forward multiple times in quick succession, each stab missing with the exception of a final stab that managed to nick Tenma's shoulder, briefly causing the boy to grit his teeth in pain before he realized that it didn't hurt much.

 _"I-I'm not a pervert!"_ Tenma exclaimed as he quickly slashed out upwards, his blade partially unsheathed as Yuri blocked it with the staff of her weapon.

 _"I like perverts~"_ The youngest Kinugawa sister leans closer to Tenma, a sultry smirk on her childish face.

 _"W-w-what is wrong with you!?"_ Tenma's pale face takes a bright red hue as he pushes her backwards and takes multiple steps back, opting to keep himself as far away from the girl as possible.

This wasn't going to be a fun fight.

* * *

[With Lily, Mayu and Chika]

* * *

 _"C'mon, I thought you three were supposed to be tough as hell considering your daddy's the chief minister, but I guess titles mean nothing after all here!"_ Lily laughed as she rolled under a horizontal slash from Mayu's katana, and then immediately raising her Mukade up to block a downward slash from Chika's right sword, and then immediately snapping out her left to kick the dual wielding sister in the knee, causing her to stumble and provide an opening for Lily to grab the girl's collar and flip her over her shoulder. Chika landed right next to her sister before growling and stumbling to get up.

Lily started to laugh as she stood up and spun her serrated blade around. _"I am reaaally disappointed. You three are barely midboss material. No wonder I'm fighting you three now, you probably won't be much of a threat later."_

 _"Y-you filthy commoner! How dare you insult us so!?"_ Mayu roared out angrily as she ran towards Lily and lashed out with her blade, gritting her teeth angrily as Lily simply laughed and danced out of the way before slamming the pommel of her weapon into Mayu's back.

 _"Quite easily, I think!"_ Lily giggled as she stared at the two Kinugawa sisters.

 _"You trash... when we're done with you, you'll be begging for mercy... we'll start with that pale eyed bitch first while you watch!"_ Chika shouted as she dashed towards the raven haired shinobi.

Pain.

Suddenly, pain erupted in her right hand as she found herself somehow being strangled by her opponent, her kasa lifted enough so that Chika could see the cold fury in her brown eyes.

 _"Touch my brother and you die."_

With that warning, Lily let go of Chika before lifting her foot and kicking the sister back. It was only as Chika fell onto her rear that she noticed the source of her pain and the reason for a lack of weight in her right hand.

She let out a scream as the pain finally connected, her eyes wide as she stares at her wrist. A deep gouge was shredded into her right wrist, causing her to lose muscle control over her fingers that twitched violently as she tried to stem the blood flow.

Mayu's eyes widened, shocked from both how quickly Lily moved and how bad Chika was hurt before she snarled and rushed to her sister's side. She lifted Chika up by the shoulders, not even noticing how the battle died down around them or how the crowd had thinned as she looked over to Yuri. _"YURI! CHIKA'S INJURED, FIRE OUT THE FLARE!"_

The youngest sibling looked stunned at the order before she nodded fearfully and pulled out a rather ornate looking flare gun in the shape of a dragon's mouth, before lighting it and firing it off into the sky.

Lily simply smirked as she slashed her blade to the side, sending the blood on it splattering off onto the ground before she sheathed it, watching the three sisters gather together and begin to retreat. Neither of them even bothered to send any threats or promises of pain, they were too busy trying to stem Chika's bloody injury.

"Lily..."

The elder of the two turned to find her younger brother staring at her with an odd expression, his nodachi sheathed. "W-was it really necessary to hurt her like that?"

"Hey, it's not a game anymore!"

"Y-yeah, but wasn't that a little too violent? M-Mukade's blade is serrated!"

"The bitch threatened to torture you, how else was I supposed to make a point not to even look at you funny?"

Tenma's face softens a bit as he smiles. "O-oh... t-then.. thanks.. I guess?"

"Anytime little bro."

"FANTASTIC!"

The sudden exclamation startled the two as they turned to find a grey haired man with a metal arm beaming a wide smile at them.

Count Jet Jenkins. JJ for short.

"Such strength, such brutality, such force! You, madam, are quite the force of nature!" JJ exclaimed as he stepped towards Lily. "Truly, you are a samurai!"

"Well, I don't like to brag..." Lily giggled before crossing her arms with a proud grin, almost like a preening hen.

"But you, were simply magnificent!"

Lily's grin dropped as she turned to find JJ quite close to her younger brother, Tenma's dainty and feminine hand in JJ's larger and metal prosthetic.

"The way you switched techniques, changing from a calculating hawk to a wild tiger, and your perfectly white yet natural hair! Fast yet powerful, brutal yet elegant! Combine that with your pale eyes and skin, you truly are the greatest beauty to have ever crossed a battlefield!" JJ grinned as he held Tenma's hand.

"T-t-thank you sir..." the younger boy stuttered with a nervous smile. "B-b-but I-I'm not a girl... I-I'm a man..."

"And that is an issue, why?" JJ leaned down and kissed Tenma's hand immediately after saying that.

Lily burst out laughing the moment she saw Tenma's face turn as red as a cherry.

 _"Not bad."_

Lily halted her laughter as she turned to find Akagi, who seemed to be favoring his right leg, with Kogure at his side.

 _"I heard you before, stating to Kotobuki that you're the white haired brat's sibling. You're pretty damned skilled too, if you could hold off and actually send two of the Kinugawa sisters running back to their hellhole. I'm impressed."_ Akagi grew a small smile, which looked more like a smirk to be honest, as Kogure nodded beside him.

 _"Good job."_ The Iai jutsu master said, his eyes briefly crinkling upwards to emulate a smile.

To their confusion, Lily simply stood there and stared at them. No, actually, she was staring at Kogure.

Akagi turned to follow her line of sight and ended up meeting eyes with a confused Kogure, before Lily started walking towards the ninja.

 _"I have dreamt and fantasized of this moment for ages... and now that I'm here... I can finally fulfill my life long dream."_ Lily declared as she step closer to Kogure, causing him and Akagi to tense.

 _'Shit, does she have a vendetta against Kogure!? Is that why the white haired brat knows his technique!? Have they been practicing to kill him!?'_ Akagi mentally panicked as he got ready to draw his blade.

Kogure stood still, wary as he stared at the shorter girl that stood in front of him. Slowly, she lifted her head, her kasa falling back a bit to reveal...

...her wide brown eyes sparkling as she beams the most blinding smile he's ever seen on a person before she clasps her hands together.

 _"I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"_

 _"...nani?"_

Watching all of this, Laura let out a soft sigh as she smiled.

"It seems Japan is going to be more interesting than I thought it would be..."

* * *

 ** _A.N: It doesn't take a genius to guess what pairings I'm going for in this fic. XD_**

 ** _Also, many thanks to the very few people who actually reviewed. Wasn't expecting any reviews at all to be honest._**

 ** _Now then, Tenma's styles are based on how I fought in WOTS4, which let me make a style with three stances. The first, the weakest, was the Iai jutsu stance. Second, the one handed stance, was the style I was most comfortable with, therefore the strongest. The third one I use less than the other two because its simply unfair to use that style while wielding a sword as long as your body._**


End file.
